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Oyster study confirms fishery problems // DOCUMENT

A University of Florida study confirms the dire straits of the Apalachicola Bay fishery.

News Herald file photo

By MATTHEW BEATON / The News Herald

Published: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 08:44 PM.

APALACHICOLA — A newly released report on Apalachicola Bay’s oyster situation is long on analysis but short on solutions, recommending more studies and confirming the conventional wisdom that the fishery is in dire straits.

The study by the University of Florida Oyster Recovery Team, which has been assessing the oyster situation since October 2012, backs up lawmakers’ and researchers’ claims that water flow down the Apalachicola River is the key ingredient to a healthy fishery. For years, Florida has squabbled in a “water war” with neighboring states, particularly Georgia, to release more water out of suburban Atlanta’s Lake Lanier, which feeds the river and ultimately the bay.

The study states the bay had high salinity in 2012 caused by low river flow and “limited local rainfall in most months.” In fact, the lower part of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-FlintRiver Basinhas been in “exceptional drought” over the last three years, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System.

Thus, problems have set in and appear to be here for the long haul.

“The 2012 decline in oyster landings and recruitment of juvenile oysters is unprecedented during the period of data analyzed and has likely involved recruitment failure or high mortality of small oysters,” the study states.

The study found a “general downward trend” in legal-sized oysters (3 inch or larger) and a “large decline” in sub-legal oysters (smaller than 3 inches) in 2012. That means it’s likely this year will see another devastating oyster harvesting year, and 2014 could be even worse.

The study did reveal a few positives, though, such as the 3-inch minimum oyster size preventing over-harvesting.

APALACHICOLA — A newly released report on Apalachicola Bay’s oyster situation is long on analysis but short on solutions, recommending more studies and confirming the conventional wisdom that the fishery is in dire straits.

The study by the University of Florida Oyster Recovery Team, which has been assessing the oyster situation since October 2012, backs up lawmakers’ and researchers’ claims that water flow down the Apalachicola River is the key ingredient to a healthy fishery. For years, Florida has squabbled in a “water war” with neighboring states, particularly Georgia, to release more water out of suburban Atlanta’s Lake Lanier, which feeds the river and ultimately the bay.

The study states the bay had high salinity in 2012 caused by low river flow and “limited local rainfall in most months.” In fact, the lower part of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-FlintRiver Basinhas been in “exceptional drought” over the last three years, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System.

Thus, problems have set in and appear to be here for the long haul.

“The 2012 decline in oyster landings and recruitment of juvenile oysters is unprecedented during the period of data analyzed and has likely involved recruitment failure or high mortality of small oysters,” the study states.

The study found a “general downward trend” in legal-sized oysters (3 inch or larger) and a “large decline” in sub-legal oysters (smaller than 3 inches) in 2012. That means it’s likely this year will see another devastating oyster harvesting year, and 2014 could be even worse.

The study did reveal a few positives, though, such as the 3-inch minimum oyster size preventing over-harvesting.

“However, it is essential that this size limit be accepted by the community, adopted by the industry, and enforced by regulatory agencies and the county judicial system,” the study said.

Another silver lining is oil from 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster appears to have stayed out of Apalachicola Bay.Oysters, white shrimp, brown shrimp, blue crab and various finfish species have all been tested for oil residue, but no “chemical contamination” was found, according to the study.

But, plenty of concerns remain, including the fact that a large percentage of oysters’ shells suffer from parasitic sea life. Familiar bay residents, including clams, sponges and other organisms, will prey on the oysters’ shells, the study said. The parasites hurt shell growth and productivity, though it’s difficult to say to what extent because there’s no historical data on the phenomenon.

“We’re going to have to change our harvesting practices there to give (the oysters) the time to grow adequately, to where they can catch up,” he said.

Beshears said the lack of flow down the river and drought have changed the environment, so adjustments must be made to allow the oysters to recover and flourish. He said during the BP oil spill three years ago oysters were over-harvested to a disastrous effect.

“We just didn’t have enough foresight to go, ‘Hey, wait a minute; maybe we ought to hold up,’ ” he said, adding, “Essentially we raped the land out there. We over-harvested and we haven’t had a chance to grow those oysters back.”

Beshears stopped short of saying there should be a harvesting moratorium, but he did say dramatic changes need to be put in place to let the oysters come back. He said there are a lot of ways to “skin that cat,” but, he thinks, on the whole harvesting should be reduced dramatically.

“We have to find a way to stop harvesting, give the sea a chance to recoup, but at the same time we can’t just hand out checks to oystermen to just do nothing,” he said.

Beshears suggested increasing programs to relay oyster shells in the bay, to which the oyster spat affixes itself, as a recovery idea. He also said opening up restricted areas for oyster harvesting is another option.

“There’s a lot of different ways to do it; we just haven’t found that right balanced yet,” he said.

Beshears said more studies are a good idea, but they will “only prolong the inevitable” — the need for major changes in harvesting practices and recovery programs.

“We have to readjust our farming practices now. … I think that we’re going to explore all our opportunities and options,” he said.

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